Lows in the 50s to return to Houston with season's strongest cool front to date

Published 4:13 pm, Monday, October 17, 2016

This map from the National Weather Service shows temperatures across the country on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016.

Take a closer look at some of the strangest weather terms from around the county.

This map from the National Weather Service shows temperatures across the country on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016.

Take a closer look at some of the strangest weather terms from around the county.

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UNIQUE WEATHER TERMS

Alberta Clipper: A low-pressure system that generally originates in the Canadian province of Alberta, pictured above. It doesn't bring heavy snow, but does send temperatures plummetting and brings gusty wind less

UNIQUE WEATHER TERMS

Alberta Clipper: A low-pressure system that generally originates in the Canadian province of Alberta, pictured above. It doesn't bring heavy snow, but does send temperatures plummetting and ... more

A cow peeing on a flat rock: In
drought-stricken West Texas, rain bounces off
the ground and streams away, rather than penetrating the surface. Since there
are a lot of cows and a lot of rocks, locals noticed a resemblance.

Crosby weather: Rainy, windy weather for the
annual golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., in February, almost inevitable when
tournament founder Bing Crosby was alive, has almost disappeared since AT&T
became the sponsor -- until it made its comeback in 2014.

Crosby weather: Rainy, windy weather for the annual golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif., in February, almost inevitable when tournament founder Bing Crosby was alive, has almost disappeared since AT&T

Derecho: A dusty windstorm associated with long,
flat clouds. A derecho like this one in La
Porte, Ind. in June
2012, can be almost as destructive as a tornado-- even though the winds are straight.

Derecho: A dusty windstorm associated with long, flat clouds. A derecho like this one in La Porte, Ind. in June 2012, can be almost as destructive as a tornado-- even though the winds are straight.

Photo: Multiple

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Dust devils: Whirlwinds, usually small,
spring up in the Southwest, like this one in San Angelo, Texas. The Navajos call them chindii, the spirits of their
ancestors. But they're not as scary as their big brother...

Dust devils: Whirlwinds, usually small, spring up in the Southwest, like this one in San Angelo, Texas. The Navajos call them chindii, the spirits of their ancestors. But they're not as scary as their big

Earthquake weather: An infrequent hot and muggy San Francisco day is called earthquake
weather after the meteorological conditions on April 18, 1906 and October 17,
1989 (pictured). It's meteor-illogical to assume the next big quake will be on
this kind of day, but it's a good reminder to check the bottled water and canned food supply.

Earthquake weather: An infrequent hot and muggy San Francisco day is called earthquake weather after the meteorological conditions on April 18, 1906 and October 17, 1989 (pictured). It's meteor-illogical to

Frog-strangler: A fierce rainstorm that produces flooding so sudden it can drown unsuspecting amphibians has this nickname in the South. A more widespread term for this kind of storm is gully-washer.

Frog-strangler: A fierce rainstorm that produces flooding so sudden it can drown unsuspecting amphibians has this nickname in the South. A more widespread term for this kind of storm is gully-washer.

Photo: Joyce Marshall, AP

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Haboob: The name for the large dust storms that blanket places in the southwest U.S. like Arizona. The walls of dust can reach a mile high and turn the sky brown, reducing visibility to zero for drivers. The Middle Eastern term also has been known to upset people unfamiliar with the word. less

Haboob: The name for the large dust storms that blanket places in the southwest U.S. like Arizona. The walls of dust can reach a mile high and turn the sky brown, reducing visibility to zero for drivers. The ... more

Photo: Michael Schennum, AP

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Lake-effect snow: Great Lakes cities like Chicago get more snow
than their inland neighbors when a cold wind passes over the warmer lake,
picking up water vapor that freezes on the leeward shore. To cheer up people depressed
by the weather, Chicago
offers a beer called Lake Effect.

Lake-effect snow: Great Lakes cities like Chicago get more snow than their inland neighbors when a cold wind passes over the warmer lake, picking up water vapor that freezes on the leeward shore. To cheer up

Nor'easter: Storms with strong northeast winds crash into New England and the mid-Atlantic states, producing high winds, rain and snow. This one hit New Jersey a week after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. When a nor'easter met up with a hurricane in 1991, it produced the deadly "perfect storm". less

Nor'easter: Storms with strong northeast winds crash into New England and the mid-Atlantic states, producing high winds, rain and snow. This one hit New Jersey a week after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. When a ... more

Photo: Mel Evans, Associated Press

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Pineapple Express: An atmospheric river originating near the Hawaiian islands produces warm, extended storms on the West Coast, like this one that flooded Sonoma County in February 2014. Click through to see some of the other colorful regionalisms for weather phenomena. less

Pineapple Express: An atmospheric river originating near the Hawaiian islands produces warm, extended storms on the West Coast, like this one that flooded Sonoma County in February 2014. Click through to see ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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Sun shower: A brief rainstorm on a mostly
sunny day that makes a rainbow is called a sun shower, especially in New England. In the Southeast, though, it's sometimes
called "the Devil is beating his wife," the idea being that Satan is
angry at God for producing such a great day.

Sun shower: A brief rainstorm on a mostly sunny day that makes a rainbow is called a sun shower, especially in New England. In the Southeast, though, it's sometimes called "the Devil is beating his wife," the

Santa Ana
winds: Southern California's dry
winds pick up heat as they roll down through mountain passes. They are
sometimes called "devil winds" because they fan wildfires,
especially in the fall. The technical term for them is katabetic winds.

Sundogs: When the sun's rays pass through
ice crystals in the atmosphere, mini-suns can appear at its sides, as in this
photo from Fairbanks Alaska, Legend has it that the ancient Greeks figured Zeus was
out walking his pooches. Actually, Apollo was the sun god, but who wants to ruin a good story?

Sundogs: When the sun's rays pass through ice crystals in the atmosphere, mini-suns can appear at its sides, as in this photo from Fairbanks Alaska, Legend has it that the ancient Greeks figured Zeus was out

Sun breaks: The brief periods of sun that
occasionally interrupt the clouds in Seattle
are welcome enough to their own nickname. Here, Storm basketball player Lauren Jackson, from sunny Australia, takes advantage.

Sun breaks: The brief periods of sun that occasionally interrupt the clouds in Seattle are welcome enough to their own nickname. Here, Storm basketball player Lauren Jackson, from sunny Australia, takes

Texas Hooker: A low pressure systems that originate in the panhandle region of Texas and Oklahoma which initially move east and then "hooks" northeast toward the upper Midwest or Great Lakes region.

Texas Hooker: A low pressure systems that originate in the panhandle region of Texas and Oklahoma which initially move east and then "hooks" northeast toward the upper Midwest or Great Lakes region.

Photo: National Weather Service

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Tule fog: California's
Central Valley gets dense ground fogs in the
winter that make driving extremely dangerous. They are nicknamed for the the
tule (pronounced TOO-LEE) grass that covers inland wetlands.

Tule fog: California's Central Valley gets dense ground fogs in the winter that make driving extremely dangerous. They are nicknamed for the the tule (pronounced TOO-LEE) grass that covers inland wetlands.

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Lows in the 50s to return to Houston with season's strongest cool front to date

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A ridge of high pressure that has brought near-record high temperatures to much of the Houston area the past couple of days is about to get chased out of town.

A hint of the cooler weather we've all been waiting for is expected to show up Wednesday as an upper-level storm system arrives from the west, bringing a 30-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

By Thursday night, lows are predicted to be in the upper 50s, falling to the lower 50s on Friday night. Although the region got a hint of autumn with overnight lows that finally dipped below 70 in the last week of September, temperatures this week are expected to be lower, Wong said.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, the high temperature at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was 90 degrees, making it unlikely that Houston would break its record of 93 degrees for that date set in 1895.